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Antiwork

CEO says my clothing (jeans t shirt) is provocative.

So I work in an IT firm as content writer in a South Asian islamic country. CEO of the company is very islamic. I wear jeans and tops for office while all other girls wear traditional Pakistani Shalwar Qameez. Boys wear jeans all the time. I have 17 years of work experience in even bigger organisations but never had to go through this. I don't wear even sleeveless or revealing clothes. HR told me today that CEO has asked to inform me that I should dress modestly. I literally broke into tears after the initial rage. I have fought for my freedom all my life. From my family to neighbors to colleagues, I fought for the right to wear whatever I like and to cut my hair short. Now that I have won all that, I can't give it up so easily. What if next he asks me to wear…


So I work in an IT firm as content writer in a South Asian islamic country. CEO of the company is very islamic. I wear jeans and tops for office while all other girls wear traditional Pakistani Shalwar Qameez.

Boys wear jeans all the time. I have 17 years of work experience in even bigger organisations but never had to go through this. I don't wear even sleeveless or revealing clothes.

HR told me today that CEO has asked to inform me that I should dress modestly. I literally broke into tears after the initial rage.

I have fought for my freedom all my life. From my family to neighbors to colleagues, I fought for the right to wear whatever I like and to cut my hair short. Now that I have won all that, I can't give it up so easily. What if next he asks me to wear a hijab and next not to even work because there are men. He literally used the word provocative dressing.

Office policies have a vague dress code that says not to wear inappropriate clothes in office. Even bosses themselves don't wear formal clothes. They also wear jeans and T shirts.

I asked the HR to send me an official Email so that I could defend myself but they said “no, we can't make this small thing into a big drama just because you've got ego issues”.
Edit: I am not a foreigner here, I am from this same country.

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